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Had he not died of an unusual and aggressive (not to mention completely bullshit) melanoma in 1981, Robert Nesta Marley (known to the rest of us simply as "Bob"), the infinitely influential reggae innovator and inspiration behind an army of suburban white kids with poorly dreaded locks, would have been 65 years old this Saturday. To mark the occasion, a number of well-known and "highly" respected groups (pun intended, expect more) have organized various tributes.

But B+ isn't the only thing they're rolling up this weekend at Rasta Pasta. On Saturday, Feb. 6, the joint will be hosting a special lunch featuring DJ Satore and his "new spin on Bob favorites" from noon to 4 p.m. Then, at 6, there'll be live reggae jams with Ital Sip, a one-man reggae sound system created by Chicago's JimiFar-I, who's been performing his unique brand of Caribbean dance hall music (blending aspects of dub, reggae, fusion jazz and rock) since 1978. For more information, hit up rastapastacs.com.

And of course, as Colorado takes its rightful place as the "most weed-lovin'est state in the Union," you'd be a fool to think that there would be only one celebration for our boy Bob. Over on the city's west side, or Little Jamaica, as The Broadmoor HR department calls it, Meadow Muffins will be hosting the most excellent Jamaican Eclipse Reggae Band starting at 9 p.m. Saturday. Also, look for that night's annual Bob Marley Birthday Bash at my former employer, José Muldoon's, not to mention a massive influx of "patients" seeking emergency "medicine" at various "dispensaries" around town ... cough, cough.

Over on the punk side of the tracks, Hellcat Records' finest traditional Celt-punk band, the Street Dogs, will be playing their final state-side show (before jumping the pond for a two-month European tour, including a spot at the legendary Punk & Disorderly Festival in Bremen, Germany!) at the Black Sheep on Monday, Feb. 8, with special guest openers Reno Divorce. The opening set will mark the first Colorado Springs appearance by the Denver band for quite some time, and it will be the last before the band heads back to Europe itself — this time following the Street Dogs and the Bones on the "Bad Boys for Life" tour. Now, I am by no means an impartial judge of their character, as I have been in cahoots with these gentlemen for quite some time now, but I can hardly fathom a band more deserving of such a break!